Getty-Dubay Italic

Getty-Dubay Handwriting Schedules

Overview

The Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting program, put out by Portland State University, has won a lot of accolades.

We first considered adding it to our line because so many customers requested it. The decision was clinched, however, when one of our sons, whose handwriting was atrocious, and who would not-or could not-make any improvements under the A Reason for Handwriting program, began making noticeable strides from the first day we used Getty-Dubay.

Getty-Dubay Italic (GDI) K

GDIK

Introduces the twenty-six upper- and lowercase letters. Letters arranged according to the simplicity and similarity of strokes in lowercase letters. Progresses from simple to more complex forms.

Regular Price: $28.75Core Price: $25.87 Add #GDIK to cart Item #GDIK

Getty-Dubay Italic (GDI) 1

GDI1

Re-introduces the twenty-six upper- and lowercase letters. Letters are arranged alphabetically.

Regular Price: $24.25Core Price: $21.82 Add #GDI1 to cart Item #GDI1

Getty-Dubay Italic (GDI) 2

GDI2

Reviews basic italic and introduces the first five joins of cursive italic.

Regular Price: $24.25Core Price: $21.82 Add #GDI2 to cart Item #GDI2

Getty-Dubay Italic (GDI) 3

GDI3

Reviews basic italic, then presents the cursive joins in sequence. Concludes with capitals. Practice includes phonograms, prefixes, suffixes, homophones, homographs, poetic forms (couplets, haikus, etc.), letter-writing, and more.

Regular Price: $24.25Core Price: $21.82 Add #GDI3 to cart Item #GDI3

Getty-Dubay Italic (GDI) 4

GDI4

Reviews basic and cursive writing. Practice includes phonograms, prefixes, suffixes, and other letter combinations. Subject matter includes the animal, plant and mineral kingdoms; vegetation zones/biomes; solar system, galaxies, and more.

Regular Price: $24.25Core Price: $21.82 Add #GDI4 to cart Item #GDI4

Getty-Dubay Italic (GDI) 5

GDI5

More practice. Subject matter includes word origins, word groups and word entertainments; names of Native American tribes, nations and communities; spiral writing, pop-up card design, and envelope making.

Regular Price: $21.50Core Price: $19.35 Add #GDI5 to cart Item #GDI5

Getty-Dubay Italic (GDI) 6

GDI6

Continued practice follows a central theme--the history of our alphabet.

Regular Price: $21.50Core Price: $19.35 Add #GDI6 to cart Item #GDI6

Getty-Dubay Basic Italic B

(approx. 1st grade)
1L12
Regular Price: $8.75Core Price: $7.87 Add #1L12 to cart Item #1L12
Consumable workbook. Re-introduces the twenty-six upper- and lowercase letters one letter per page. Letters are arranged alphabetically. Uses individual words and sentences.

Getty-Dubay Basic and Cursive C

(approx. 2nd grade)
2L09
Regular Price: $8.75Core Price: $7.87 Add #2L09 to cart Item #2L09
Consumable workbook. Reviews basic italic and introduces the first five joins of cursive italic.

Getty-Dubay Basic and Cursive D

(approx. 3rd grade)
3L10
Regular Price: $8.75Core Price: $7.87 Add #3L10 to cart Item #3L10
Consumable workbook. Reviews, then presents the cursive joins in sequence. Concludes with capitals. Practice includes phonograms, prefixes, suffixes, homophones, homographs, poetic forms (couplets, ha...

Getty-Dubay Basic and Cursive E

(approx. 4th grade)
4L08
Regular Price: $8.75Core Price: $7.87 Add #4L08 to cart Item #4L08
Consumable. Reviews basic and cursive writing. Practice includes phonograms, prefixes, suffixes, and other letter combinations. Subject matter of practice: the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms; veg...

Getty-Dubay Basic and Cursive F

(approx. 5th grade)
5L08
Regular Price: $8.75Core Price: $7.87 Add #5L08 to cart Item #5L08
Consumable. More handwriting practice. Subject matter includes word origins, word groups and word entertainment; names of Native American tribes, nations, and communities; spiral writing, pop-up card...

Getty-Dubay Basic and Cursive G

(approx. 6th grade)
6L08
Regular Price: $8.75Core Price: $7.87 Add #6L08 to cart Item #6L08
Consumable. Continued handwriting practice follows a central theme--the history of our alphabet.

Getty-Dubay Instruction Manual

(for Italic Handwriting)
KL13
Regular Price: $12.75Core Price: $11.47 Add #KL13 to cart Item #KL13
Recommended Resource for the Getty-Dubay program. Contains helpful hints for teaching Books A-G. Covers assessment, implementation, activities and supplements.

Getty-Dubay Basic Italic A

(approx. Kindergarten)
KL14
Regular Price: $8.75Core Price: $7.87 Add #KL14 to cart Item #KL14
Consumable. Introduces the twenty-six upper- and lowercase letters one letter per page.

Among this program's potential benefits:

  • Its cursive characters are almost identical to its print characters (which, in turn, are quite similar to the traditional "ball-and-stick" characters). There are some very minor variations between the print and cursive characters: cursive adds some strokes to join the letters, but the letters' shapes, and the pen or pencil strokes required to form them are identical in 25 out of 26 lower-case letters (the letter "k" changes), and in 25 out of 26 capitals.
  • Both of these factors together mean that the transition from print to script is easy-and once a student learns the cursive style, s/he is less likely to revert to printing.
  • At least one national writing contest was won recently by a student who used the italic method. Translated: the text looks good. Many people say it reminds them of simple calligraphy.

Among its potential weaknesses:

  • Italic handwriting is completely non-"standard." There are no school materials of which we are aware that use the italic method as the basis for student practice sheets. A child who studies the italic handwriting method will have to overcome the difficulties inherent in using workbooks that assume and model a very different writing style.
  • Children who study italic will be unfamiliar with "normal" cursive handwriting and may be at a disadvantage when asked or required to read materials written by someone who uses the other form.
  • Though we have found nothing unScriptural or antiChristian in the texts, in the upper elementary grades some of the writing assignments become mildly politically correct when they deal with "hot" issues of the day like environmentalism.